


The Exception to My Rules

by CelesteFitzgerald



Series: JJbek Week 2017 [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, JJbekweek, M/M, jjbekweek2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelesteFitzgerald/pseuds/CelesteFitzgerald
Summary: Otabek is a bit nervous about his first year at college, especially after meeting his obnoxious (but attractive) RA. But the two begin to form an unlikely friendship that may grow into something more. With his RA and his roommate Kenjirou by side, maybe college won’t be so bad for Otabek.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> JJBek Week 2017 Day 3—Prompt: University AU

Otabek looked down at the number attached to his room key. _214_. At least he only had to walk up one flight of stairs. He was thrilled to be attending ISU this year, but many buildings on campus were quite old and had yet to be renovated with elevators. Luckily he was an extremely light packer and had only brought two suitcases with him to college.

He reached the top of the staircase and quickly found his new room. Before he even unlocked the door, he paused to look at the door signs that his RA must have created. _Geez_ , the RA really went all-out: each door in the hallway had a sign for each of the two occupants of the room, and the signs all had a rainbow of colors and glitter surrounding their names. The sign next to Otabek’s said “Kenjirou.” He recognized his roommate’s name from the email he’d received a few weeks ago, but they hadn’t contacted each other. Otabek had heard many horror stories about roommates and was worried about whether he and his roommate would get along, but he forced these thoughts from his head as he unlocked the door.

 _Well, this is…small_ , he thought. Kenjirou hadn’t moved in yet so the room only contained their beds, desks, and dressers, but it was already a tight fit. Otabek rolled his suitcases over to the left side of the room to claim his bed. _Guess I may as well start unpacking._

After ten minutes of hanging up his clothes, he heard a knock at the door. “Come in.”

The door sprung open and in bounced a very short young man with hair dyed an interesting combination of blond and red. Two adults that must have been his parents followed shortly after. “Hi! I’m Kenjirou, your new roommate! You must be Otabek.”

Otabek extended his hand politely. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Kenjirou.” Kenjirou took his hand and shook it vigorously. This kid had too much energy for his own good.

“You, too!” Kenjirou rocked forward and back on his heels. “Oh, these are my parents. Are your parents around here?”

“No, I’m moving in by myself.” Kenjirou seemed to be waiting for Otabek to explain further, but he stayed silent.

Kenjirou’s mother spoke up. “Well, dear, if there’s anything at all you need help with, please let us know. We’re happy to help with whatever we can!” His father nodded and smiled in agreement.

“Thank you. I’m fine; just go help your son.” The couple shared a brief look with each other. Otabek gave them a small smile, and their expressions softened a bit. Otabek knew that his straight-forward way of speaking could accidentally come off as slightly rude, so it had become a habit of his to smile to help diffuse an uncomfortable situation. In general, it worked very well.

The two boys turned to their respective side of the room to unpack, with Kenjirou’s parents occasionally making small talk with him. After a couple hours, they were almost unpacked. Kenjirou’s parents decided to take off, and they said their goodbyes to their son, and to Otabek.

A few minutes after they left, Otabek heard quiet sniffling. Turning around, he was surprised to see that Kenjirou was curled up on his bed, crying. “Are you okay?”

Kenjirou abruptly turned to face the wall. “I’m fine.”

Otabek walked over to his roommate’s bed and put his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay to be scared of moving away from your parents. It’s a big change.”

Kenjirou spun back around and wrapped his arms around Otabek’s neck, catching him off-guard. “Then why aren’t you scared?”

Otabek awkwardly patted him on the back. He was never very good at physical contact. “I’m terrified. I’m just good at hiding it.” That earned a small laugh from Kenjirou. “You’ll be fine. You can still talk to your parents on the phone, and you can go back and visit them. And soon enough you’ll have tons of new friends here. I promise you, it won’t be so bad.”

Kenjirou hugged him tighter. “Thank you. You’re the best roommate ever!”

“Maybe you should wait until we’ve known each other for more than a few hours before making such ambitious claims,” said Otabek, slowly trying to back away from Kenjirou’s death grip.

“I don’t like waiting,” said Kenjirou as he finally let go.

Otabek gave him another small smile as he returned to his side of the room. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much time to relax. They both jumped as someone banged on their door. “Floor meeting in the study room down the hall in twenty minutes. No ditching!” That loud, obnoxious voice must belong to their new RA. Otabek’s high hopes for his dorm life after meeting Kenjirou began to drop again. If this loud man really was their RA, Otabek had a feeling that he wouldn’t do much to enforce the quiet-hours policy.

Otabek and Kenjirou spent the next fifteen minutes talking (Kenjirou did most of the talking) before heading down the hall for the meeting with their RA. They only arrived four minutes early, but the room was almost empty; only four other students were there. Kenjirou excitedly introduced himself and Otabek, and the other four followed suit. The angry-looking boy was Seung-gil. The boy next to him taking selfies was Phichit. The girl with the short, red hair was Mila. And the timid boy with brown hair was Guang Hong.

Kenjirou, Phichit, and Mila continued the conversation while Otabek, Seung-gil, and Guang Hong listened in. It turned out that none of them were the RA; it was looking like the guy might be late to his own meeting. As other students slowly trickled in and formed their own groups, the six of them learned a bit more about each other. Their floor turned out to be a combination of upper- and lower-classmen: Seung-gil and Phichit were seniors, Mila was a sophomore, and Guang Hong was another freshman. Apparently Seung-gil and Phichit had requested to be roommates ever since they were randomly matched during their freshman year. Otabek couldn’t imagine how those two could possibly get along, but he remembered how different Kenjirou was from himself, and so far they had been getting on just fine. Kenjirou was excited to learn that Guang Hong lived directly across the hall from them. Guang Hong seemed to be happy to know someone who lived nearby, especially since his roommate hadn’t even moved in yet even though everyone was supposed to be settled by now.

It was five minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, and their RA hadn’t shown up yet. Otabek heard murmurs around the room from a few students who were considering ditching. Their whispers were quickly silenced when the lights suddenly shut off.

Everyone turned toward the door as the light from a cell phone illuminated a boy with brown hair partially tied up in a short, half-ponytail. “Students of ISU,” he announced while gesturing dramatically, “I am proud to present your Resident Assistant for the upcoming school year: the one, the only—Jean-Jacques Leroy!”

The boy with the ponytail stepped aside and started playing some rock music on his phone as a tall boy with an undercut ran into the room. “Whaaaaat is up, Floooooor Two?!” The rest of the students seemed just as confused as Otabek was. A couple people started clapping quietly, but most of the group just sat in stunned silence.

Ponytail boy shut off the music, flipped the lights back on, and flopped into a chair toward the front of the room and propped his feet up on the table in front of him. The RA “graciously” thanked the students who were applauding him and took a bow. “Before we get started, I’d like to give an extra-special thank you to my buddy Leo for that wonderful introduction.” Ponytail boy—Leo—shot the RA some finger guns. “In case you missed his incredible intro, I’m your RA, Jean-Jacques, but you can call me JJ. Leo and I are both juniors this year. We’ve got a nice variety of students on our floor this year: seniors,”— Phichit cheered half-heartedly as Seung-gil tried to silence him— “juniors,” –Leo flashed more finger guns— “sophomores, and, of course, our newbies. Now, to get the boring formalities out of the way, let’s all go around the room and introduce ourselves like good little children.”

As everyone introduced themselves, Otabek noticed that many of the upperclassmen seemed to already know who JJ was. He must be popular at this school. _He certainly acts like he’s popular_.

After JJ got Kenjirou to stop talking, he turned to Otabek. “Next: you, with the sexy haircut.” He winked.

Otabek started seriously considering trying a new hairstyle. “I’m Otabek. Freshman. Roommates with Kenjirou.” Kenjirou smiled at him.

JJ wasn’t impressed. “Is that all, _Otabek_?” Otabek didn’t like the way JJ dragged out each syllable of his name. “Got any hobbies? Passions? Dreams? At least tell us your major.”

“Fine arts major,” Otabek huffed.

Surprisingly, JJ seemed to quit his weird, dramatic act for a minute and seemed genuinely interested in what Otabek had to say. “Really? So am I! What’s your specialty?”

“Painting.”

“No kidding? That’s awesome, man. Mine’s theater.”

“That explains a lot.” Several other students started laughing. Otabek hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Luckily, JJ seemed to take it as a compliment. “Maybe we’ll see each other around on campus. And if you ever never help or advice with anything, hit me up—oh, that goes for the rest of you as well.”

Once the introductions were done, JJ enlisted Leo’s help with passing out the list of rules. “Okay, now on to the boring shit. There are a bunch of rules you have to follow, blah blah blah, basically just don’t be a dick. Have a conversation with your roommate about expected behavior and boundaries, don’t vandalize anything, and for the love of god please pick up after yourself in the bathroom. No one likes a slob. You can read over the details on your own time. Any questions?”

“Quiet hours,” stated Seung-gil matter-of-factly. Otabek was incredibly grateful to him.

“Ugh, right,” JJ rolled his eyes. He lifted the sheet of paper to his face and read from it: “Rule number 7: From 10 pm to 6 am, quiet hours will be enforced. Any perpetrators of noise violations will be issued a warning by the RA.” He dropped the paper on the table. “I believe I already made that clear earlier when I said, ‘don’t be a dick,’ but whatever.” Seung-gil did not seem satisfied by JJ’s apathetic response, and Otabek felt the same.

“Any other questions?”

“Show us your abs,” called Phichit, phone camera at the ready.

“All in good time, my man,” said JJ, winking.

“Come on, take it off!” added Mila.

JJ didn’t seem to be even the slightest bit uncomfortable from these comments. He brushed them off and continued. “My dear friends, it is getting late and it is time to adjourn our meeting. If you have any more questions, my phone number and room number are on the sheet. Now, I have just one last thing to say before you go.” He smirked, then lifted up the bottom of his shirt. “Enjoy your stay.” Phichit, Mila, and Leo cheered as the other students got up to leave. Otabek got up as well, trying not to stare at JJ’s six-pack.

Kenjirou caught up with him after saying goodbye to the rest of the group. “You were right! We’ve already met so many nice people. I can do this, I can make it on my own…I think…maybe… I still don’t know, but at least I don’t feel so alone anymore. Everyone is so nice!”

“Mm,” said Otabek. “I’m not sure how I feel about our RA, though.”

“He’s, um, very excitable. And loud.”

“So loud,” Otabek agreed.

“Well, maybe you’ll end up getting along with him. Opposites attract, and all that?”

Otabek unlocked their door. “Time will tell, I guess.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was noon on the first day of classes, and Otabek had just gotten out of his Art History class. He had been to two classes that morning, and both had been fairly enjoyable and didn’t seem to be too difficult. He had a very light schedule on Mondays, so he was done with classes for the day. He shot Kenjirou a text as he walked toward the cafeteria.

 **Otabek:** omw

 **Kenjirou:** yeeeeea. got us a table by the window

After they had moved in on Saturday, they had been blessed with a free day on Sunday. Otabek and Kenjirou agreed to explore the campus together and check out where all their classes were so they wouldn’t end up being one of those poor, lost freshmen. It’s a good thing they did, because they had gotten lost a couple of times trying to find the art building. As they explored, they had gotten the chance to get to know each other further. Kenjirou was the type of person that Otabek typically wouldn’t interact much with, but something about the guy was very sweet and endearing, and Otabek was glad they had been matched together as roommates. Kenjirou had told him numerous stories about his family and his hobbies, and he had even convinced Otabek to open up a little bit.

Otabek had told him about his little sister and how close they were. He also told Kenjirou how his grades had never been the greatest, and how his sister had always been better in school. And how his parents said that they wished he could be more like her. His parents had repeatedly remarked that they were shocked that he was accepted to ISU. “They’re good people,” Otabek had told him, “they’re just not always the best parents.”

Kenjirou had of course told Otabek that he’d always have a family with him and his parents. Otabek thought that was a bit too large of a promise for someone he’d known for less than twenty-four hours, but he appreciated the sentiment. Kenjirou had been in a similar situation. His parents had always supported him, but his teachers and friends never took him seriously when he told them he wanted to be an engineer. He had the grades for it, but no one seemed to think that he had the right temperament for the job. He was hoping for a fresh start at ISU. They were a lot more similar than Otabek had first thought.

Later on Sunday night, they had agreed to meet up for lunch the next day. Otabek was absolutely not a people person, but he found himself excited to hear how Kenjirou’s day had been so far. After filling his plate with food, he walked toward the tables by the window where he saw Kenjirou waving to him.

“Otabek!”

Otabek sat down across from him. “Hello. How has your day been?”

Kenjirou’s face lit up even more as he launched into a five-minute-long recap of his day so far. It seemed like things were going well for both of them.

Kenjirou paused in the middle of his sentence, his eyes looking past Otabek. He leaned toward him and whispered, “Isn’t that Guang Hong from across the hall?”

Otabek carefully turned around and saw that it was indeed Guang Hong. He was sitting by himself a couple of tables down. He didn’t look particularly happy.

“Should we go sit with him?” Kenjirou asked.

Otabek was about to respond when he heard a loud voice behind him. “Guang Hong! What’s up, dude?” Of all the people to show up, it was JJ. He plopped right down across the table from Guang Hong, startling him a bit. Otabek frowned. He still wasn’t particularly fond of JJ and was worried that he might be sitting with Guang Hong just to tease him.

“Yes, let’s sit with him,” said Otabek as he stood up. Kenjirou hurried to keep up.

“Mind if we join you?” asked Otabek.

JJ smiled at them. “Otabek, Kenjirou! Of course!” He pulled out the chair next to him, and Otabek sat down.

“You remembered our names?” asked Kenjirou as he sat down next to Guang Hong.

“Of course I remembered, I would never forget my own residents like that. I may seem like just an annoying authority figure who forces you to show up to pointless meetings that no one actually cares about, but I do honestly want to get to know each of you—especially all you freshmen. Freshman year can be rough if you don’t have friends by your side to help you through it.”

Otabek checked JJ’s words for any signs of sarcasm, but he seemed genuine. Even though he was annoying, he did seem to be a halfway-decent guy.

“Anyway, please continue,” JJ said, gesturing to Guang Hong. He then turned to Otabek and Kenjirou and explained, “Guang Hong was just about to tell me how his Intro to Psychology class went.”

“Woah, psychology?” Kenjirou asked incredulously. “That sounds hard, you must be a genius.”

Guang Hong smiled and seemed to finally relax a bit. He started talking about his class. The four of them actually had a very pleasant conversation, and Otabek found himself disliking JJ less and less. When he wasn’t trying to put on a show, he was surprisingly kind as well as a great conversationalist—not to mention quite attractive.

Suddenly, another person made their way over to the table and leaned on top of JJ’s head, ruffling his hair. “What’s up, loser?”

Otabek turned toward the newcomer and recognized him as ponytail boy from the meeting. “Leo!” JJ said. “You remember the freshmen from the floor meeting?”

“Eh, kinda?” Leo said, running his fingers through his hair.

JJ reintroduced them all. Otabek could have sworn he saw a faint blush on Guang Hong’s cheeks as he shook Leo’s hand. Leo pulled up another chair and jumped in on their conversation. As it turned out, Leo was a neuroscience major, so he and Guang Hong began talking excitedly about their classes and before long, JJ, Otabek, and Kenjirou were lost.

JJ turned to them. “So it seems like you two are getting along well? Randomly-assigned roommates don’t often work out, so it’s always nice to see a success story.”

Kenjirou nodded his head. “Mm-hmm! But, if I can tell you a secret, I was a little scared of you at first, Otabek.”

JJ laughed out loud. Otabek thought it was a nice sound. “You were scared of him?” JJ asked.

“I’m not anymore!” Kenjirou emphasized before speaking to Otabek. “You’re just…so serious all the time, and you don’t smile a lot. And you didn’t seem like you wanted to talk to me very much, but now I get that that’s just how you are….That sounds mean, doesn’t it? I didn’t mean it like that—”

“You’re fine, I get it. It’s all accurate,” reassured Otabek.

“So Otabek,” JJ said, “what did you think of Kenjirou when you met him?”

Otabek rolled his eyes. “Oh boy,” –Kenjirou started laughing— “well, he was a lot more…huggy than I had anticipated.”

“Oops. I get a bit touchy-feely when I’m emotional.” JJ quirked an eyebrow at Kenjirou, and he explained. “I had a break down when my parents left, and Otabek comforted me and made sure I was okay.”

“That’s…really sweet of him,” JJ said quietly. He smiled warmly at Otabek.

They were interrupted when Guang Hong jumped up, realizing that it was almost time for his next class. Leo and Kenjirou’s classes were in the same direction as his, so the three of them left together. JJ had a break before his last class of the day, so he tagged along with Otabek on the way back to the dorm. Otabek was a bit wary of talking to JJ one-on-one, but JJ seemed different. He was speaking more quietly and didn’t seem to be making as much of an effort to show off his confidence.

At one point, JJ brought the conversation back to the topic from lunch. “I really do think it’s great that you and Kenjirou are getting along so well. You two complement each other nicely. And it was really good what you did for him on his first night here.”

“It was nothing. I hate to see people hurting like that. I always strive to do whatever I can to help in situations like that, no matter who it is.”

JJ stared at Otabek for a moment. “You’re really an amazing guy—you know that, right?”

Otabek looked over at JJ, who immediately turned his head forward. “Thank you.”

They walked the rest of the way to the dorm in mildly-uncomfortable silence. When they reached their floor, Otabek said his goodbyes and was about to unlock his door when he noticed that JJ was paused in the hallway, shifting his weight back and forth. Otabek turned around to face him.

JJ’s dramatic, RA smile and voice returned. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you so far, Otabek. I’m glad you got stuck on my floor. Remember, if you ever need anything or if someone’s giving you trouble, you have my number.”

“Thanks, but I honestly don’t think you’ll be bothered by me too much. The floor seems great so far.”

JJ’s smile faltered for a moment. “Well, if anything comes up, give me a call. Even if it’s something really tiny, I’ll make time for you. Morning, afternoon, night…whatever you need…um, I guess you probably get the point…um, w-what I’m trying to say, is that—is that you should call me. Okay, have a great day, bye!” On that note, JJ hurried down the hall to his room, immediately entering and slamming the door shut.

Otabek had no clue what had just happened. Was JJ just incredibly impatient to start performing his RA duties? Or maybe something he ate at lunch didn’t sit well with him. Otabek shrugged it off and finally unlocked his door. He’d tell Kenjirou about it later; maybe he’d have some clue what was going on with JJ.

* * *

 

As it turned out, Kenjirou had a very, very strong idea of what JJ was doing. “Oh my god, he’s _asking you out!_ ” Kenjirou squealed while shaking Otabek’s shoulders vigorously.

Otabek’s eyes widened as he pushed Kenjirou off of him. “Wait, _what?_ ”

“He told you to call him. He’s asking you out! What don’t you understand about this?”

“But—are you sure?”

“Uh, if he was really as flustered and nervous as you said he was, then YES. That’s about as obvious as it gets.”

It did seem like the most plausible explanation for JJ’s behavior, but Otabek still couldn’t believe it. “But…why me?”

“Are you serious? He’s acted differently around you than he has around everyone else ever since the meeting. And he must have mentioned how great he thinks you are at least ten times at lunch today.”

Otabek put his face in his hands and groaned.

“Otabek, you’re not required to go on a date with him if you don’t want to.”

“Ugh, it’s not that, it’s just…I only met him two days ago. Why does he want to go out with me already?”

“Oh relax, it’s not like he’s asking you to marry him. It’ll just be dinner or something else where you can get to know each other better.”

Otabek sat in silence for a few seconds. “I guess it doesn’t sound that bad. I _would_ like to get to know him better.”

“Then you should go for it!” Kenjirou jumped up and down excitedly. “Call him!”

“Now? I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Put him on speaker phone, I’ll help you!”

“…Fine. Just give me five minutes.”

Five minutes later, Otabek typed in JJ’s number and hit ‘call.’ Kenjirou was practically as nervous as Otabek by this point.

He picked up after two rings. “This is JJ, what’s up?”

“Um, hi, it’s Otabek.”

JJ’s tone changed completely. “Oh! Otabek! Hi! Um, how are you? Do you need something?”

Otabek was stumped. “Well, you told me to call, so I did….” Kenjirou face-palmed next to him. “I’m, um, not calling about RA stuff….”

“O-oh. I didn’t think you’d actually call. You looked so creeped-out earlier in the hallway that I kinda thought you’d want nothing to do with me.”

Kenjirou slapped him lightly when he heard that. “Oh god, sorry. I just didn’t really understand what you were implying at first. But I’m on the same page now…I think.”

JJ laughed nervously. “Well, I certainly hope we’re on the same page, because if we’re not, what I say next will sound incredibly foolish. If you’re not busy, I was hoping you could join me for dinner at six on Friday night.”

Otabek froze up for a second, but spoke with some prodding from Kenjirou. “I’m available Friday at six.” He heard JJ breathe a very loud sigh of relief on the other end. “Where should I meet you?”

JJ’s confidence returned in full-force after hearing Otabek’s response. “Well, my dear, you can meet me right outside your door. I would be honored to escort you to the restaurant myself—in my car. It’s too far to walk. And don’t you ask where I’m taking you; it’s a surprise.”

“You really don’t have to drive me somewhere far if it’s too much trouble—”

“I insist. It’s no trouble at all. And I think you’ll love this place! So, I’ll see you on Friday?”

“…See you on Friday.”


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the first week of classes went by smoothly. Otabek’s classes were going well, and he began eating lunch and dinner with Kenjirou and Guang Hong regularly. Occasionally JJ, Leo, or Mila from their hall would stop by their table as well. Otabek had spoken with JJ a couple of times since the phone call, and each conversation made him more excited for their date on Friday—and more nervous.

When the day finally arrived, he asked Kenjirou for advice on what to wear. They settled on a nice pair of dark jeans and a black, button-down t-shirt.

Kenjirou gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re ready!”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be great! And you have to tell me how it goes when you get back!”

“Okay, okay.” It was only 5:59 and Otabek was already starting to worry about whether JJ was actually coming or if he stood him up. Luckily, he wasn’t kept in suspense for much longer. There was a knock at the door at six o’clock sharp. Otabek opened the door while Kenjirou stood behind him trying not to get in the way.

When he saw JJ, Otabek couldn’t help but check him out. He was wearing black skinny jeans with a tight, red t-shirt that left little to the imagination. “Wow, you look really…yeah….”

JJ snorted. “You look pretty ‘yeah’ yourself.” Otabek gave him a small smile. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Otabek waved goodbye to Kenjirou and followed JJ down the hall. “Um…how was your day?”

“It’s a lot better now that you’re here….That was way too cheesy, wasn’t it?”

“I won’t lie to you, that was awful.”

JJ sighed. “Well, I’m off to a great start, aren’t I?”

Otabek smiled. “Yes, actually, you are.” JJ returned his smile.

They talked comfortably the rest of the way to JJ’s car. His car was quite a few years old and had several small scratches and dents along the sides. “It doesn’t look pretty, but it drives really smoothly,” JJ said as he opened the door for Otabek. “I call it ‘the castle.’”

“’The castle?’ Why?”

“Because a car I drive has to be fit for a king, obviously,” said JJ, climbing in and starting the engine. ‘The castle’ actually did run surprisingly well.

“Obviously.” Otabek rolled his eyes. “How long have you had it?”

“My parents bought it for me when I graduated high school. Got it really cheap at a used car dealership. I wouldn’t trade it for any other car in the world. Do you have a car?”

“Not a car. I have a bike back home, but my parents thought it was a waste to bring ‘that piece of junk’ all the way to school. I kinda wish I’d ignored them and found a way to get it here anyway.”

“Wait, when you say bike, do you mean motorcycle?”

“Yeah, I saved up my money and bought it at the beginning of the summer.”

“No way. Dude, that’s so hot—shit, I meant cool. Cool!”

Otabek hoped that JJ was too focused on driving to notice him blushing. “Thanks. Ever since I bought it, I’ve ridden it everywhere. It’s so freeing to just ride, especially when you don’t have a particular destination. It’s only been a week without it and I already miss it.”

“If it means that much to you, you should find a way to bring it here. Parking passes aren’t that expensive.”

“Yeah, I should. And if I do, I’ll take you out for a ride.”

“Oh god yes—I mean, that sounds great.”

The thought of JJ sitting behind him on his bike with his arms wrapped around his waist sent tingles up Otabek’s spine. He pushed the image from his head and continued the conversation. About five minutes later, JJ pulled into the parking lot of a fancy Italian place.

“Here we are!” JJ gestured dramatically. “It’s one of my favorite places. But it’s so fancy that I almost never have occasions special enough to eat here.”

“And I’m special enough?”

“Definitely. Wait ‘til you see the inside.”

JJ held the door open for him, and when he stepped inside, he saw that the walls were covered in paintings from the Renaissance. “Wow…”

“What do you think?” JJ waited nervously for his response.

“This is amazing. I love it.” He kept looking around at all the paintings.

“See, I told you you would!” JJ stepped up to the counter. “I have a reservation for two for Leroy.”

“We’re all ready for you. Right this way, Mr. Leroy.” The person behind the counter led them to a quiet booth in the back. They gave them each a menu and let them know that the waitress would be there shortly.

Otabek continued looking at the paintings. JJ asked him if he knew any of them. Delighted, Otabek launched into descriptions of the ones he recognized and their artists. He cut off when he saw the way JJ was looking at him, however.

“What?” Otabek asked.

“I’ve just never seen you smile this much. It’s amazing to hear you talk so passionately about this. I like it.” They stared at each other for a few seconds before JJ spoke up again. “So what did you say was the inspiration for this one?”

Otabek smiled again as he continued. They kept talking, and before they knew it, they were already halfway done with their meal.

“So, have you acted in many plays here?” Otabek asked.

“Oh yeah, a bunch. At the end of last semester we performed _Hamlet_.”

“Did you get to play Prince Hamlet?”

“Um, excuse you. Did you not hear me earlier? I said that my car had to be fit for a king. I’m not a prince, I’m a king! …Luckily I’m a king who’s very good at pretending to be a prince.”

Otabek laughed. “If you were that intent on being a king, couldn’t you have just played Hamlet’s dad’s ghost?”

“And miss out on all the soliloquies that expose Hamlet’s deepest thoughts and inner conflicts? No way.”

They continued talking about the plays JJ had been in until they had finished eating. The waitress dropped off their check. JJ grabbed it immediately.

“I can pay for my own food,” said Otabek.

“Not tonight. I took you out, therefore I pay,” JJ insisted.

“Fine. But only if you let me pay next time.”

JJ looked up from his wallet. “There’s going to be a next time?”

Otabek blushed. “Um, only if you want to go out again, I guess.”

JJ burst into an enormous smile. “I’d love to!”

After a couple of minutes, the waitress picked up the check, and they headed back outside to JJ’s car. They arrived back on campus quickly and walked back to their dorm. They paused once they arrived at Otabek’s door.

“I had a really, really great time tonight,” JJ said.

“So did I. Thank you for taking me out to dinner.”

“Well, thank you for coming. Leo told me I was crazy for asking you out two days after we met, but I just couldn’t wait.”

“I’m glad you didn’t listen to him,” Otabek smiled.

“I almost never do,” JJ winked.

Otabek laughed. They stood in silence for a few seconds. JJ looked like he was trying to figure out how to say something.

Finally, JJ stepped forward and pulled Otabek into a hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Shocked, Otabek didn’t know how to react. He cautiously wrapped his arms around JJ. At his response, JJ pulled him in tighter. “Okay,” whispered Otabek.

Once they let go, Otabek finally opened the door to his room. When he got inside, he saw Kenjirou very rapidly and suspiciously backing away from the door and jumping into his bed. “I wasn’t looking through the peephole,” he said much too quickly.

“Yeah, sure.” Otabek sat down at his desk. Kenjirou stared at him intently until he looked up. “What?”

Kenjirou started squealing. “How was it? Was it fun? Did you kiss? Are you gonna see him again? Tell me everything!”

“You sure you didn’t already see everything?”

“Pleeeeeeease?”

“Calm down, of course I’ll tell you.” Otabek recounted the evening to Kenjirou, then got a little bit of homework done. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by a knock at the door before he was able to do much.

When he opened the door, Otabek wasn’t expecting to see Seung-gil standing there. He had seen him around campus a few times and politely said hi, but they hadn’t really spoken since the floor meeting the first night.

“Hi Seung-gil, what’s up?”

“Phichit told me you’re dating JJ. Is this true?”

Word sure travelled fast around here. “Yeah, it’s true.”

Seung-gil thrust a stack of papers into his face. “That’s against the rules.”

“Um, what?” said Otabek, taking the booklet from him.

“ISU Student Handbook Section Three, Number Fourteen: Resident Assistants are forbidden to become romantically or sexually involved with any of the residents on their floor. Violation results in the loss of the Resident Assistant position and all associated scholarships,” Seung-gil recited while pointing out the passage in question to Otabek.

Otabek stared in shock. It had never occurred to him that dating JJ might be against the rules. Several people on their floor were aware of the fact that they were dating. If any of them let their Hall Director know, JJ would be in enormous trouble. There was no way that Otabek could put JJ’s position at risk like this. But he really liked JJ, and couldn’t bear to think that they wouldn’t be able to have the second date they had promised each other. Otabek didn’t know what to say; the only thing that came out was, “Oh.”

Seung-gil dropped his super-serious expression for a moment. “I’ll be honest with you. I hate people who have no respect for the rules. I’ve also known JJ for two years now. He’s obnoxious, rude, and careless. But since he’s been hanging out with you, he’s been slightly more tolerable to be around, and he seems happier. I’m not going to turn you two in. However, if I catch you two on a date again, I won’t make any promises. So don’t let me _catch_ you with him.” He paused.  “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The huge emphasis he placed on “catch” was plenty clear to Otabek. “Understood.”

Seung-gil nodded. “Goodbye, Otabek. Kenjirou.” Kenjirou waved to him from behind Otabek, but Seung-gil had already snatched back his student handbook and was out the door.

“Are you okay?” Kenjirou asked.

Otabek sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. “I could have lost him his position.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’ll be okay. Seung-gil said he isn’t going to tell.” Kenjirou sat down next to Otabek and placed his hand on his back.

“But what if someone else does?”

“Don’t worry about that. All you need to think about right now is that you had an amazing date with an even more amazing guy. We’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

Otabek took a deep breath. “Okay.” He stood up. “I think I’m going to turn in early for the night.”

“Okay, just try not to freak out. I’m here for you, and so is Guang Hong.” 

“Thanks.” He appreciated Kenjirou staying so calm about this, but he was terrified about what this meant. He tried taking his advice and did his best to push the student handbook from his mind. Otabek got ready for bed and tried to get some sleep. As expected, he wasn’t very successful.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Otabek knew he had to talk to JJ about this. At this point, he wasn’t sure if JJ was intentionally breaking the rules, or if he was blissfully unaware. Otabek didn’t know which of the two options was worse. He got dressed, then walked down the hall to JJ’s room before he could chicken out. He looked at each end of the hall to make sure it was empty; after the conversation with Seung-gil, he really didn’t want anyone else to see him talking to JJ.

After he confirmed that the hall was empty, he quietly knocked on the door. He heard movement inside. A minute later, the door opened to reveal a very sleepy-looking JJ. He was wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt, and he rubbed at his eyes and blinked rapidly to adjust to the light in the hallway. “Otabek? It’s eight in the morning on a Saturday, what the hell are you doing up?”

“I need to talk to you.”

JJ’s face turned serious. “Is everything  alright?”

“Not really.”

“Come in, come in,” he said quietly. He sat on his bed and gestured for Otabek to sit at his desk. “What’s up?”

Otabek stared down at his hands. “Do you know section three of the student handbook?”

JJ broke into confused laughter. “Sorry, Otabek, I don’t have that particular section memorized. And if you do, then I’m afraid you’re far too nerdy for me to date you anymore.”

“JJ, please. Did you know that we’re not allowed to date?”

“Huh?”

“RAs aren’t allowed to date students on their floor. You’ll lose your RA position if we get caught. It’s in the student handbook.”

“Oh…I forgot about that…How did you find that out?”

Otabek explained what Seung-gil said the previous night, including how he insinuated that as long as he didn’t them together on their dates, he wouldn’t turn them in.

After a minute, JJ spoke up again. “Okay…okay. So I guess we know what we have to do.”

“Yeah.”

“We can still make this work. As long as we keep it a secret, we can still see each other.”

“Wait, what? JJ, you’ll lose your job.”

“Not if no one catches us.”

“But people already know. You could already be in trouble. I can’t do this knowing that it could cause you that much harm.”

JJ’s face fell. It was the first time Otabek had actually seen him upset, and he didn’t like it. “Oh…oh my god.” He took a shaky breath. “Otabek, I know that this is against the rules and that I could get in a lot of trouble. But I’m willing to take that risk. We haven’t known each other for that long, but I can tell how special you are. I really like you, and I want to keep seeing you. But…I won’t pressure you if you’re uncomfortable with this. I can’t force you to break any rules, and I absolutely can’t force you on a date that you don’t want to go on. I just—I needed to tell you what I’m feeling, and I need you to know that the choice is up to you. Whatever is best for you is fine with me.”

Otabek wasn’t sure what to do. He had been prepared to say goodbye to JJ a few minutes ago, but hearing him talk, he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He had grown to care about JJ a lot too over the past week and could see himself potentially being in a relationship with him somewhere down the line. But he still didn’t want to cost JJ his RA position, even if he claimed he was willing to risk it.

“I need to think about it,” Otabek said.

JJ nodded. “That’s okay.”

“I think I should go now.”

“Okay.” JJ reluctantly got up to open the door for him. But when Otabek stepped into the hallway, he saw Seung-gil walking toward him. His eyes widened.

“Okay Otabek, let me know if you’re having anymore issues with your roommate. As your RA I’ll do whatever I can to help!” JJ pulled the lie out of nowhere.

Otabek thought there was no way Seung-gil would actually let that slide, but he just nodded at the two of them and continued walking. “How did you come up with that so quickly?”

“It’s my job. I’m an actor, remember?” JJ smiled.

Otabek smiled back. “Thanks.”

“I’ll, um…I’ll see you around?”

Otabek bit his lip. “Yeah.”

They stared at each other in awkward silence for a few seconds before Otabek returned to his room to think.


	5. Chapter 5

Otabek had spent much of the rest of the day thinking about what to do about JJ. He still managed to get a bit of homework done, and he went out with Kenjirou and Guang Hong for a few hours. He trusted Guang Hong, so he caught him up on the situation with JJ and asked for his advice. He had been expecting Guang Hong to tell him that continuing to see JJ would be a mistake, but he didn’t. He told him to go for it, but to be very careful to not let anyone else find out. Kenjirou accused Guang Hong of becoming more rebellious ever since he starting hanging out with Leo, which caused Guang Hong to blush, which led Kenjirou to change the course of the conversation to what he saw as the more pressing issue: Guang Hong’s love life. Guang Hong spent the rest of the night denying everything.

By Sunday morning, Otabek was becoming more confident in his decision. Against his better judgment, he wanted to continue seeing JJ. He just didn’t know how it would be possible if they had to keep other people from seeing them. He let Kenjirou know what he had decided, and he gave him his full support. “You two would be so great together, I know you’ll make it work!”

“I hope so. I know he says he’s okay with risking his RA position, but if it actually comes to that I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive myself.”

“It won’t come to that. I’ll help you out whatever way I can.”

“Can you help me figure out how I can take him on a date so that no one will know we’re on a date?”

“Go on a double date with Guang Hong and Leo!”

“…You came up with that way too quickly. Is this actually for my benefit, or Guang Hong’s?”

“Psh, it can be both. Do it. That poor boy needs all the help he can get. And it’ll just look like four friends hanging out; no one will think you’re on dates.”

“I hate to admit it, but that’s actually not the worst idea.”

“Yes! Help Guang Hong get his man—oh, and you too, of course.” Kenjirou smiled at him with feigned innocence.

Otabek chose to call JJ since it would probably be safer than going to his room two days in a row. JJ picked up after the first ring.

“Otabek. Hi.”

“Hi, JJ. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’m still a bit scared, but I like you a lot. If you’re still willing to risk it, I’d like to keep seeing you.”

JJ let out a cry of relief. “Oh my god, really? I thought for sure you wouldn’t—oh my god. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.”

“—But we have to be very careful.”

“I will. I’ll be so fucking careful it’ll blow your damn mind.”

Otabek couldn’t help but laugh. “Good. Now, I know this probably isn’t ideal, but Kenjirou had a good suggestion. Maybe the two of us can go on a double date with Guang Hong and Leo to avoid the suspicion that would come if it was just the two of us. And I can’t speak for Leo, but Guang Hong has been desperately pining all week and is too scared to do anything about it.”

“That sounds epic. And dude, Leo will be one-hundred percent on board with that, trust me….But seriously, I can’t thank you enough for giving me a chance.”

“I think you’ve thanked me plenty. I’ll talk to Guang Hong and you’ll talk to Leo?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

 

It took a while for Otabek to calm Guang Hong down, but he finally convinced him to come along. They agreed to meet on Tuesday for lunch at a sandwich place right next to campus. When Otabek and Guang Hong arrived, JJ and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked almost as nervous as Guang Hong, which was saying something.

Guang Hong and Leo ordered first, and Guang Hong shyly offered to pay. Leo blushed slightly and let him. JJ placed his order next, but made a big show of frantically checking his pockets. “Shoot, I must have forgotten my wallet.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” said Otabek as he produced his credit card.

“Thanks, _friend_ ,” smirked JJ.

Soon they had picked up their food and found a table. Leo spoke up. “Dude, you could have just let Otabek pay for your food without ‘forgetting your wallet.’ No one’s gonna turn you in for that.”

“It was Otabek’s idea,” said JJ.

“I just want to be extra cautious. I’m still really nervous about this.”

JJ’s hand lightly brushed against Otabek’s under the table. “It’ll be fine. Just relax.”

Despite his better judgment, Otabek didn’t push JJ’s hand away. It felt nice.

The four of them chatted amicably while they ate. Guang Hong and Leo were too nervous to talk directly to each other at first, until JJ got fed up and told Leo to “man up and talk to the cute boy.”

Leo stared JJ dead in the eyes, and stood up. He continued standing there.

“What the hell are you doing?” JJ asked.

“I am a man, and I stood up. Therefore, I ‘manned up.’”

Otabek had never seen Guang Hong laugh so hard. JJ threatened to end his friendship with Leo, but Leo’s sass seemed to have worked out for the better—Guang Hong and Leo were so focused on each other for the rest of the date that Otabek and JJ might as well not have been sitting across from them. This gave Otabek and JJ a bit of privacy to talk to each other. It wasn’t Otabek’s ideal situation for a second date, but it still ended up being quite nice.

As they walked back to campus, Guang Hong and Leo began holding hands as JJ and Otabek walked behind them.

“Maybe getting those two together was a bad idea. They’re gonna be constantly PDA-ing in front of our faces,” said JJ.

“PDA-ing isn’t a word. And I think it’s cute.”

“Yeah, it’ll be really cute when they start making out and groping each other at our lunch table.”

“I can’t really see Guang Hong doing that.”

“I’m not convinced he’s as innocent as he looks. What kind of fucked-up kinks do you think he has?”

“JJ!” Otabek tried to quiet him. Then he leaned in and whispered in JJ’s ear. “Do you think he has any collars or handcuffs?” 

JJ slapped his hands over his mouth to try to muffle his laughter. “Oh my god, did you really just say that?”

“You’re the one who asked!”

“…I bet he does.”


	6. Chapter 6

Things continued going smoothly for Otabek. He went on a few more “dates” with JJ, either just hanging out quietly in JJ’s room (until another resident burst in crying about the hair all over the showers), going out again with Leo and Guang Hong (who were now officially boyfriends), or letting Kenjirou third-wheel with them by spending all his time on his phone to let them have some semblance of privacy (even though he was not-so-secretly eavesdropping on everything and sending Phichit—who had been sworn to secrecy—pictures).

It was nice, but Otabek wanted more. They had been dating for a whole month but had only been on one true date and hadn’t even kissed. He wasn’t even sure if they were actually officially together yet. He needed to find a way to take JJ out on real date, just the two of them, without getting into trouble. He came up with a plan, but it would be difficult. He’d have to suck it up and talk to his parents, whose calls he’d been rejecting since he moved in. But he wanted to give JJ a night to remember, so he put his plan into action.

* * *

 

After spending all of Saturday setting it up, Otabek waited for JJ in the parking lot on Sunday. The sun had already set, and very few other students were around to see them. He had told JJ to meet him there at nine.

At 8:59, Otabek saw JJ jogging toward him, out of breath. “Geez, Otabek, did you have to pick the parking lot farthest away from our dorm?”

“Less risky this way.”

“Ugh, fine. So, what do you have planned? It better be worth it since I had to go all day yesterday without seeing you. What were you even doing?”

“I was out of town, picking something up.” He took JJ’s hand and led him past a couple of cars until they reached a very specific parking spot.

JJ’s eyes widened. “No way.”

Sitting there was Otabek’s bike. “I convinced my parents to pick me up to visit home yesterday morning. I didn’t exactly tell them that I was only planning on staying for a few hours before driving back myself, but this makes their anger worth it. I got the parking pass all taken care of, too.”

JJ just stood in silence, admiring the bike. “So,” Otabek asked, “what do you think?”

“This is incredible,” JJ whispered as he gently ran his hand over the top of the bike. “You shouldn’t have had to go to all this trouble with your parents, though.”

“I wanted to. And anyway, I seem to recall promising you a ride.” He tossed JJ a helmet.

JJ’s face lit up. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You were born.” Otabek took a deep breath before the next part. “Now, would my boyfriend care to climb on?”

JJ only smiled wider as he got on. “Your boyfriend would love to.”

Otabek tried to contain his excitement as he climbed on in front of his _boyfriend_ and started up the engine. It was so good to have his bike back. “Hold on tight.”

JJ wrapped his arms snugly around his waist. “I’m never letting go.”

Otabek could get used to this. He drove out of the parking lot and headed down the mostly-empty streets. He hadn’t told JJ where he was taking him; it was JJ’s turn to be surprised. Occasionally he felt JJ’s head nuzzling into the crook of his neck, and he laughed quietly at the way his hair tickled. JJ laughed too, and Otabek adored the way he could feel JJ’s chest shaking on his back as he laughed.

After fifteen minutes of driving, Otabek pulled off into a small parking lot next to a large field. JJ let go of him and they both climbed off.

“Here we are. This place is far away from the rest of the city so there’s no one around and almost no streetlights, so I was thinking we could just lie down and stargaze for a while. It’s not the most eventful way to spend a date, but—”

JJ cut him off and smiled. “It sounds amazing.”

Otabek reached out his hand. JJ gladly took it, and they walked out toward the center of the field and lay down. It really was a gorgeous location. It was just the two of them, alone in nature, save for the occasional car that drove past and provided a bit of ambient noise. They kept their hands intertwined as they lay there.

“Do you know anything about constellations?” JJ asked.

“Nope. You?”

“Oh, definitely,” JJ said. “You see that one right there? The ancient Romans called it ‘The Big Dick.’”

Otabek cracked up. “You’re right, it does look a bit like your face.”

JJ shoved him.

Otabek pointed somewhere else. “Hey, those ten stars actually do kind of look like a dick.”

JJ squinted. “Oh my god, they do. Alert the authorities, we have a new discovery to go down in the history books.”

They continued discovering new “constellations” and laughing until their abs were sore. At one point, Otabek rolled over to face JJ. “Can I ask you something?”

JJ rolled toward him as well. “Always.”

“It’s a bit of a serious question. I’ve been wondering about it for a while now. And wait until I’m done talking until you answer.” He paused. “When we first met, and whenever you’re talking to other people, you always seem so confident and sure of yourself. But you act differently around me, more honest. You talk more quietly, your smiles seem more authentic, and you get really nervous and flustered a lot. When I told you that I thought we’d have to stop seeing each other, you had a really strong reaction, and it happened again when I changed my mind, which is not something I would have expected from the side of yourself that you present to the world. We had only known each other for a week, and you were already so attached to me….Basically, what I’m wondering is if it might be possible that your background as an actor is affecting your life too much—if you’re pretending to be this boisterous, confident person that really isn’t you. And I’m not saying this to try to hurt you in any way; I just know that pretending to be someone you’re not can be a miserable way to live your life, and if there’s any chance that this is what you’ve been doing, I just want to make sure you know that it’s okay to be yourself.”

JJ stared at him for a moment with his mouth slightly open. “Wow…I didn’t know you were thinking about all of that. Thank you for being honest with me; it means a lot. But you don’t need to worry about that anymore. I’m aware that sometimes in public I act a bit more confident than I really am just for fun, but I promise you that my whole persona isn’t just a big act. It’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s still definitely part of who I am.” He took a deep breath and continued. “The reason I’ve been acting differently around you is…a bit more embarrassing. But I want to tell you, as long as you promise not to laugh at me.”

Otabek squeezed his hand. “Of course I won’t laugh.”

“To be totally open with you, I’m not really used to having romantic feelings. I guess you could say that…you were my first crush. My whole life, I’ve heard all my friends talking about how cute everyone else was or how this person liked that person, and I never really understood it. It just never happened to me. But then you came along, and I was hit with all these feelings that I didn’t know how to process—and I still don’t know how to process them. I’ve been so worried that I’d scare you away because I have no idea what I’m doing. It’s all really scary to me, but the one thing I know for sure is that I like you a lot and really don’t want to mess this up.”

“JJ…you don’t need to worry about messing anything up. I like you too, and it’s okay if you’re not used to this. I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing either, so we can figure it out together. It’s perfectly fine if you don’t have very many romantic feelings. What matters is that you’re happy, and…I’d really like to be someone who can make you happy.”

JJ pulled him into a tight hug. “You already are.”

When JJ released the hug, Otabek was looking at him and biting his lip. “JJ…you can say no if it’s not something you’re comfortable with, but could I kiss you?”

JJ’s mouth dropped open. He nodded his head slightly. “Yes.”

Otabek placed his hand on the back of JJ’s head and scooted closer to him. He placed his forehead against JJ’s, pausing for a second to make sure JJ was ready. He saw JJ’s tongue dart out quickly to lick his lips, then their eyes met briefly. Otabek closed the gap.

JJ’s lips were soft against his. Otabek’s head buzzed with excitement as their lips gently moved together. He moved his other hand to JJ’s waist to pull him in closer and JJ let out a sigh. His breath was warm and Otabek wanted to feel it again. But it could wait until later. Otabek placed one more kiss to JJ’s lips before pulling away.

“Wow,” JJ whispered, touching his fingers to his lips.

“Yeah,” said Otabek. “That was nice.”

“Very nice,” JJ agreed. “We have to do that again sometime.”

“Definitely.” They smiled at each other. A cold breeze rustled their clothes, and they shivered. “Shoot, it’s getting late.”

JJ sat halfway up. “Damn.”

“We should probably get back to campus.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.”

Otabek smirked at his victory. He stood up and offered JJ his hand. “Shall we begin our journey?”

JJ took his hand. “Nothing would please me more.”

They walked back to Otabek’s bike, hand in hand. They may not have been sure where they were going or how they would get there, but they both found comfort in knowing that they wouldn’t be going alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn’t planning on writing a 6-chapter fic for JJBek week, but here we are. Yay for me actually writing a chapter fic to completion for the first time in my life!


End file.
